Magnet for Trouble
by hbwriter85
Summary: The story happens during New Moon when Edward leaves. Bella is truly a Magnet for Trouble and pain. She gets attacked. What will Edward & the Cullens & Jacob & the pack do when they find out what truly happened to Bella? This is my first fanfiction.
1. Chapter 1

**Magnet for Trouble**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters they sole belong to Stephenie Meyer.**

**This is my first fanfiction. The story happens during New Moon when Edward leaves. Bella is truly a Magnet for Trouble and pain as Edward had believed to be true. What will ****Edward and Jacob do when they find out what truly happened to Bella.**

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I just had to get out of the house. My mind was swimming over Jacob's mysterious visit last night. I had figured out that he was a werewolf, and I knew could never judge him for that. However, I needed time away from Forks to sort through I thoughts.

I was strolling along the Boardwalk in Port Angeles completely lost in thought. Jacob was a werewolf. I could handle that, but could I handle the fact that people were disappearing and being killed by such werewolves. How could my best friend be a monster when he had been nothing but kind and loving to me and Charlie. Edward and the rest of the Cullen family had made a conscious effort to not harm humans. The thought of them brought tears to my eyes and made breathing difficult. Jacob was a monster compared to them.

I was so distracted that I had not noticed that I had reached the end of the Boardwalk and was right at the end of a darkened alley way. I was so lost in thought that she didn't realize I was no longer alone until I was surrounded.

It took only a manor of minutes for me to start to try to fight back against the four men pushing me back into the alley. They smelled of booze and smoke. The combination made me light-headed. I punched the one in front of me in the nose hard enough for him to take a step back.

I took his momentary pain to start running, praying I wouldn't fall down. Before I reached the end of the alley, another figure stepped out from the shadows. A person I knew all to well from my nightmares; someone I knew was out to make me suffer for the death of her mate, James. Beautiful, yet scary with her blood red eyes, Victoria made me pause long enough for the four men behind me to grab me and drag me further into the alley.

I knew I couldn't scream. If I screamed for help and someone managed to hear me and come to help, they would be killed immediately by Victoria who was nearby. The men finished quickly and turned to leave. They weren't even going to try to kill me as I had come to hope they would. On their way out, Victoria, stopped each of them quickly by knocking them unconscious. I tried to pull on the dirty clothes left nearly in shambles beside me. I hoped that Victoria would take the opportunity for revenge and kill me now. My life couldn't get worse, could it?

Victoria, had just finished draining the first human, and moved on to bite the second one. However, she didn't kill him. She just bit him and moved on and bit the other two. She left the three moaning soon-to-be vampires to come towards me. I had just gotten my jeans back on when she stood over me. She glared at me with so much hatred; I thought I was going to die. She leaned in and I asked her if she was going to kill me now.

Victoria flashed an evil smile. She said, "I have no intention of killing me yet. Poor Edward's heart will break when he realizes that you have been taken advantage of. When he knows that it was his fault for not turning you. No, I'm not going to kill you just yet. I'm going to let you and Edward suffer for what you did to me by killing my James."

With that, Victoria grabbed my arm and flipped me over so my bare back was to her. I didn't realize she had grabbed one of the knives the human men had dropped until I felt a fire tear through my back as she carved letters into it. I begged her now to kill me, "Edward left…it's not like it was before. He doesn't love me. Please just kill me and put me out of my misery."

Victoria laughed a harsh laugh. Instead she went and got the shirt from the man she had killed and came back and threw it at me. She said, "Tell Edward that this is just the start of your torture. I have much worse plans for you and for anyone who stands in my way. Now you better leave before these newborns wake up and smell your blood. I don't know if I'll be able to stop them from killing you. They'll make a nice addition to the small army of newborns I have already gathered in Seattle. Don't worry you'll meet them someday, but I don't think you'll survive long after that." She laughed again and turned to go back to her withering changelings.

I got up and gently tugged on the shirt Victoria threw at me. I knew my shirt was to tattered to be worn. By back felt like it was on fire like a thousand needles had pricked it. It hurt, but I would, unfortunately, survive. I needed to get a hospital to make sure they wouldn't become infected. I walked past Victoria trying to ignore the pain in my back and in between my thighs. They had not been gentle, and as I had been a virgin, the pain felt like it would tear me in two.

I headed toward my truck at the other end of the Boardwalk. I knew Victoria was watching me, but I refused to give her the satisfaction of turning around. I remembered back to when I ran into Laurent in the meadow before the wolves killed him. He had said that Victoria had planned to make me suffer. This was nothing I had expected.

I was on my way to the Port Angeles hospital lost in thought. I knew I could tell no one of this incident. How could I? Three of the four men would soon become newborn vampires who would follow Victoria. If I told Charlie, he would try to hunt them down and get himself killed or turned in the process. If I told Jacob, he would do the same. Sure he had the pack, but five young wolves against Victoria and her newborns were not good odds. I would tell the doctor that I was mugged. I was not going to press charges, so there was no reason to tell my father.

When I got to the hospital, I asked for a doctor who could stitch up cuts on my back. The nurse asked me what happened. I said I was mugged by a crazy bitch who thought I was trying to steal her boyfriend. Victoria had carved _REVENGE_ _FOR JAMES_ into my back with such precision that it would leave scars. A doctor came in and cleaned the wounds and stitched up the cuts and bandaged them. He had asked the nurse to call the police so a report could be filed. I told him no that I didn't want to press charges. I also asked him not to call my father. Since I was eighteen, he could not legally tell my father anything. The doctor instructed me to clean the stitches twice a day and the stitches would dissolve away in a couple weeks.

I drove home struggling to stay awake to not let my numbing burn in my back take my mind from the road. I let my mind wonder to the Cullens. What would they do if they knew? Had Alice had a vision of this happening? No, my mind concluded that Victoria had made a snap decision. Alice would not have had time to see the course of her choice before it was over. The actual attack lasted less than fifteen minutes.

As soon as I reached home, I climbed the stairs slowly to the bathroom. I stepped out of the dirty disgusting clothes that I would burn as soon as I was done cleaning up. I looked at my back in the mirror, the blood had begun to cake on and the shallower parts of the cuts began to scab. I climbed into the shower and let the hot water wash the dirt and blood from my body scrubbing every inch of my skin to try to get all reminders of the attack off though I knew it would never work.

When I was done, I grabbed the medical gauze out of the medicine cabinet. We always had plenty on hand since I frequently hurt myself. I turned myself so I could watch what I was doing in the mirror as I wrapped the gauze around my body covering the cuts on my back. I was light-headed from the smell of the blood and probably the loss of blood. I looked down at the tattoo I had gotten on my butt about a month after Edward left. It was a black rose. It reminded me that like the rose, I my life was black and dead, especially now that the last thing I had left, my body, had been stolen away just as Edward had taken my heart with him.

I dressed and went downstairs. It was then that I remembered why I had been in Port Angeles in the first place and my mind shifted to Jacob and the wolves. I knew I needed to let him know that I knew what he was and I didn't care, but could I let myself be near him without panicking? I had to try. He was after all my best friend, my brother.


	2. Chapter 2

I went back out to my truck and drove down to La Push. When I pulled up in front of the house, Jacob came out to greet me. He looked solemn and surprised that I had come. I asked if we could go for a walk, and we started walking down the street heading towards the beach. I looked at him and said softly, "I know what you are, Jacob."

He nodded. "Are you frightened?" he asked.

"No," I replied. "Disappointed in you though."

Jacob's eyebrows shot up. "Disappointed!?! I didn't chose this, Bella. If you want to be disappointed in anyone, it should be your filthy blood-suckers." He was trembling in fury.

"At least the Cullens try to not be monsters!" I shouted. "They don't murder innocent people."

Surprisingly, Jacob laughed an honest laugh. "Is that what you're worried about? That I'm killing innocent people?"

"Yes! How could you do that, Jacob? Those people that have been disappearing. There have witness that have seen huge wolves around the mutilated bodies."

Jacob laughed again. "Bella, I'm not a murderer. And no one else in the pack is either. There have been two blood-suckers loose. The one who nearly killed you before we killed him and his mate. They are the ones killing the innocent people."

I went pale. "You killed Laurent?"

Jacob's expression twisted in sadness, "He wasn't your friend was he? He looked about ready to kill you."

"No, he was not my friend. I'm relieved actually. Laurent won't try to kill me again?"

"No." Jacob stated. "He is dead. You do not have to worry about him. We'll take care of his mate as well."

"Victoria…" I whispered. I hoped he hadn't heard me. Jacob didn't need to be wrapped in my problems.

"Who is Victoria? Is that his mate?" Jacob asked curious about the information I knew.

"She's not his mate, just a friend. Her mate was James." I replied trying to leave it somewhat vague.

Jacob was already plowing ahead with his questions. "Who was James? Do you know of Victoria's intentions?"

"James was killed by Edward and his brothers when he tried to kill me last year in Phoenix. Victoria is set on revenge." I told him. I didn't want him to know what kind of revenge she had already put into practice. He would hunt her down if he knew. However, the basic information would just give the pack a better idea on how Victoria planned to come at Forks.

"So she's trying to kill you to get back at Edward for killing her mate?" he asked starting to understand briefly. I nodded. I couldn't give him any more information than that. "Don't worry, Bella, we'll protect you. I need to call a meeting with the pack." With that, Jacob ran off into the woods and came back a few minutes later. "Come on, we're meeting at Sam's place."

"Are you sure it's okay to bring me along?" I asked.

"They'll be angry," he said, "but you know things that will help us track her better."

When we got to Sam's, Jacob explained about Victoria and how she was after me to get back at Edward for killing her mate who was not the blood-sucker that they had killed. Sam told me that when I could I needed to stay on the reservation so they could protect me better.


	3. Chapter 3

Three and a half weeks passed without incident. Victoria had been working to try to find holes in the wolves protection with little success, but she hadn't caused any damage to the pack. The cuts on my back had long since scabbed over and were turning into scars. I had tried to push the attack to the back of my mind, but it didn't work today.

Today was different. I knew when I woke up that today would change my life. I just didn't know by how much. Today was the day my period was supposed to start. However, I had a feeling that it wasn't going to start today or tomorrow or the next day. Deep down, I knew that my body was changing slowly but surely. I decided that before I knew for sure, I was going to give in to my last chance to be reckless before I gave in to responsibility of caring for my body in one way or another.

I drove down to the reservation, passing the cliff that I was going to jump off before continuing on to Jacob's house. I would make Jacob take me cliff diving today knowing that I would never get the chance again. When I reached the house, Billy met me at the door. "He's asleep, Bella. He's been keeping late hours. He should be up in about 20 minutes though." I nodded and told Billy to have him meet me at the beach.

As I walked to the end of the beach by the cliff, I found the path leading up to the top. Without really thinking, I followed the trail not paying any attention to the rolling clouds or the coming storm. I kept thinking how my life was going to change. _Was I really pregnant, or was it just my imagination? What was I going to do? Could I have an abortion? _I didn't think I could do that. _Could I make sure I miscarried? Was that even possible? Could I keep the baby? Surely, not! With Victoria after me, any child I brought into the world would be in danger. Could I give up a part of me for adoption? Would I be strong enough to let go?_

Before I knew it, I was at the edge of the cliff looking out over the waves not really noticing how the swell was crashing against the cliff. My thoughts turned to Edward. _What would he think of me in my broken state? Would he find me broken and no good, worth nothing? Of course he would, he hadn't really wanted me in the first place which is why he left. I couldn't get over him though. I loved him with all my being. _I thought of him one last time before making my resolve focus back on taking care of myself. I took the last reckless jump I would ever take knowing when I got back to shore I would have to take on more responsibility.

The waves crashed over me as I plunged into the water. I tried to break through to the surface, but kept getting pushed down. I thought I was going to die and my mind filled with sorrow and regret for not getting to see Edward's face one last time for not giving the child inside of me a chance at life.

Then everything happened so fast. I felt an arm around my waist as my head broke through to the surface. "Breathe, Bella." Jacob said behind me. "Just breathe slowly." He pulled me to shore where Sam was in the shallower water waiting to see what he could do to help. "Bella, what were you thinking?" Jacob asked as he carried me to the beach.

"I wanted to go cliff diving." I spluttered through my coughing.

"Didn't you see the hurricane coming in? Why didn't you wait for me?" He asked obviously worried about me. Sam watched quietly assessing me for any permanent damage.

"Jacob, you should get her to the house to warm up," Sam said. "Her lips are turning blue from the cold." At which point my body shivered as if to emphasize his point.

"Alright, I've got her. You head on back to the hospital and give my regards to Sue and the kids." Jacob told Sam quietly not really taking his eyes off me.

Jacob picked me up before I even knew what was happening. He started carrying me back toward his house. I was about to tell him that I could walk, but he was so warm that it kept the shivers at bay. "What did you mean back there when you told Sam to go back to the hospital? What happened?"

Jacob grimaced. "Harry Clearwater had a heart-attack this morning. It doesn't look good"

"Oh, no. Does Charlie know yet?" I asked.

We reached the house and Jacob took me inside. "Yeah, Charlie knows. He's at the hospital with my dad and the others." He set me down and went to his room to grab a change of clothes for me. However, I was already starting to dry being around Jacob's warmth. He came back to find me already lying on the couch. He sat on the floor beside me and laid his head back against my shoulder. His breathing became even as he fell asleep. A few hours later, Jacob finally woke up.

"I need to go home, Jacob. I need to check on Charlie to make sure he's okay." I told him.

Jacob looked down and nodded. We went out to my truck. Jacob said he would drive me home. I was too tired to argue. Nearly drowning really took a lot out of me. When we pulled in to my driveway, Jacob growled and quickly backed out. "What's wrong?" I panicked.

"A blood-sucker is here. I have to get you away from here." Jacob was shaking now. My mind started to panic. I knew Jacob was close to changing. I had to get out of that cab or calm him down. I looked around outside and saw a familiar black sedan parked across from my house. I knew that car. I could place it anywhere.

"Jacob, stop! It's Carlisle, Jacob. I have to go back. Please!" I cried trying to unbuckle my seat belt and open the door and the same time. Jacob stopped the truck when he realized I was ready to jump out while it was still moving.

"Are you sure it's Carlisle?" he asked with doubts still formed in his mind.

"Yes, I would recognize his car anywhere." I hoped out of the truck already starting back down the road towards my house. Jacob yelled for me to stop which I did and turned to look at him.

"Bella, I can't go in there with you. If the Cullens are really back, then I am breaking the treaty being here. I can't protect you if you go back." Jacob told me anguish and pain in his voice. I felt a twinge of regret for hurting him, but I needed to see Carlisle. I had to make sure Edward was ok. I nodded to Jacob letting him know that I understood. "Bye, Bella. I hope you don't die." he told me before he ran off into the woods.

I ran back to my house opening the front door. I called out for Carlisle as I flipped on the light switch. I jumped in surprise when I saw that the vampire was not Carlisle as I had expected. "Alice! What are you doing here?"

"Bella?" Alice asked equally surprised. "How are you alive? I saw you jump off the cliff. I saw you drown. I came hear to help Charlie knowing he would be heart-broken. How could you do that to Charlie, Renee, to Edward?"

"Alice…" I cried running to her and embracing her. "I wasn't trying to kill myself. I was cliff-diving. Some of my friends at the reservation do it all the time. I wanted to try. Wait, you said you saw me? Have you been watching me?" I asked warily. Did they know about the attack and not do anything?

"No, Edward made me promise not to watch you. I was so tuned into you though that it was hard not to. This vision was the only one I have had in months. I saw you jump. I saw you die. You were in a coffin." Alice whispered to me nearly believing it to be true.

"Oh, Alice!" I knew she was in pain, but I didn't care. I was jus so glad she was here. "I've missed you so much! Do the others know you are here? Do they believe I am dead also? Does Edward..?" I didn't think I wanted to know the answer to that question. He wouldn't care; he hadn't missed me.

"No, he doesn't know I'm here. The others do though. They miss you. We all do. Edward hasn't been the same since you left. We actually haven't seen him in months. He calls every couple weeks for Esme's benefit, but he mostly stays away." Alice said quietly. My mind was racing. They missed me, but they are the ones who left me! Edward's no longer with the family. What has he been doing? Hopefully, his distractions have done better for him than mine have for me. Bella's thoughts were interrupted by the vibrating of Alice's cell phone.

Alice brought the phone to her ear and gasped. "Rosalie, how could you?" She paused. "No you're wrong on both accounts. Yes, Bella's fine. That is exactly what I saw. Save your sorrow for someone who cares, Rose." Alice hung up the phone. I looked at the anguish on her face and immediately knew something was wrong.

"Alice, what happened?" I asked almost afraid to hear the answer.

"Rosalie told Edward that you were dead. He's on his way to Italy to the Volturi." Alice told me sadly. I felt my heart stop. I remembered the conversation that I'd had with Edward when he had told me of the Volturi and how if anything happened to me that he would go to them to die.

"What can we do, Alice? We have to stop him! He can't do this!" I was panicked.

"Do you have a passport?" Alice asked me. I nodded. "Go upstairs and pack. I'm getting us on the next flight to Italy. He won't believe it if it is just me or one of the family. The only way he will believe it is if he sees you. We must hurry."

Before I knew it, we were on the plane. I had left a note to Charlie stating that Edward was in trouble and needed my help. I would call him when I got the chance.

On the plane, I told Alice about my friendship with Jacob Black and the rest of the werewolf pack. I also briefly mentioned running into Laurent and that he was dead, killed by the werewolves. I told her that Victoria was set on revenge for the death of James. I didn't give her anymore information than that.

When we landed in Italy, Alice stole a car and started racing to Volterra. She had seen that Edward would merely wait until high noon to step out into the sunlight in the public square. I raced across the square seeing Edward in the shadows of the alley. I got to his side and begged him to not do this. He looked at me thinking I was a figment of his imagination or that he was already dead.


	4. Chapter 4

_*****Everything that happened in Volterra also happened. No new developments happen while there. I am skipping ahead to the ride home.*****_

_***Edward's point of view***_

I watched as Bella warred with her heavy eyelids in the car on the ride back to the airport. Alice was driving leaving me to hold my Bella in the backseat. I couldn't believe I had almost lost her to my own stupidity. I had been so stupid to leave her. "Go to sleep, Bella." I told her. "There is no more danger. You're safe."

Bella shook her head, "No, I don't want to sleep. If I go to sleep, you won't be here when I wake up." She looked tormented by the thought, and it broke my heart. I never wanted to cause her this kind of pain. I thought that only I would be in the kind of pain that I saw in the depths of her eyes.

"Bella, I promise I am not going to leave you now or ever again. You can go to sleep. I'll be here when you wake up." I promised her. "I've missed you so much. I never should have left. If I had known about Laurent, Victoria, or the werewolves, I wouldn't have left. I love you so much. The idea of you being in that kind of danger…"

Alice had told me in her thoughts that Bella had been nearly killed by Laurent and that Victoria was after her. She also told me that she had become close friends with the Quileute werewolves whose repulsiveness outweighed the threat of Laurent or Victoria in my mind. The thought of her being in so much danger made me sick. Didn't she know how dangerous young werewolves were. Alice looked back at me. '_She's hiding something from us,' _she thought.

I looked back down at Bella. She looked like she was crying. "How can I believe you?" she asked me obvious pain evident in her expression. It made my still heart break even more. "You left me. How can I believe you really do love me, that you won't leave me again? There are things you don't know. You may not feel that way for long." Those words made me feel dead.

"Bella, I will always love you no matter what." I pleaded with her with my words, eyes, and lips as I covered her face in soft kisses. "What do you mean by things I don't know? Please tell me so I can put your fears to rest. What happened that you don't want to tell me?"

Bella shook her head. She was stubborn. "Not now," she said. "I just want to enjoy being with you right now." She sighed and curled up closer to me letting her legs intertwine with mine. Her hand reached out to grab my hand that was not wrapped around her waist. I starred at her beautiful face taking in her scent and the feel of her warmth the rest of the ride to the airport.

The first flight to London was relatively short, and Bella didn't sleep. She just stayed wrapped up in my arms. I never wanted to let her go. While we waited in the London airport for our next flight to Atlanta, I took in the sight of my beautiful Bella. I noticed only a few changes in her appearance. The major one being how tired she looked. She was past the point of exhaustion like she hadn't had a good nights sleep in weeks. I could see it in her eyes her stance and feel it in the way she held onto me like I was the only thing keeping her upright. The other changes were very minor. I was sure I was the only one who noticed that her breasts were slightly fuller and her hips had widened just a bit giving her a distinctly feminine appearance. My Bella was becoming more of a woman in appearance, and I had a distinct ache to run my hands over those new curves.

When the plane to Atlanta took off, I pulled the armrest between our seats up and leaned both hers and my seat all the way back. I pulled her into my side laying her head on my chest and encouraged her to go to sleep. She tried to fight it saying that she would see things she didn't want to see. My mind went back to the castle in Volterra. I had tried to get Bella out of the room before they led the group of humans that they were planning to feed on in. I knew I had not been fast enough when she burst in to hysterics from the sight. She had asked me how anyone could want to be apart of that when I had told her the secretary had hoped to join them someday. I thought these were the images that would be plaguing her sleep. Maybe now she would understand my desire to not turn her.

Eventually, Bella's exhaustion ran out, her eyes drifted closed. For the next eight hours of the flight, my Bella slept peacefully in my arms. When we landed in Atlanta, I hated the idea of waking her up, but I knew as much as I wanted to, I could not carry her through the airport to our last connection to Seattle without looking suspicions. Alice reached forward and gently shook Bella's shoulder to wake her up. "Bella, we need to get through customs and to our connecting flight back to Seattle." Alice explained softly not wanting to startle Bella.

She moaned softly and looked up at me to seemingly make sure I was still there that I hadn't left her while she slept. I smiled down at her and kissed her forehead and lifted her chin to kiss her nose. "I love you," I whispered before I moved my lips to hers wanting to taste her again. She moaned softly as my lips touched hers, but I was surprised when she pulled back.

"Please don't," she whispered. I looked at her confused. Normally she pulled me closer trying her hardest to deepen the kiss. "It will just make it harder when you leave. I don't think my heart can take that again." My dead heart broke hearing that. I never meant to hurt her like that.

_We need to go._ Alice thought as the plane pulled into the terminal. _Our next flight leaves in 45 minutes, and it will take us that long to get through customs and to our gate._ I nodded at her as she took Bella's hand to pull her up and grabbed the two carry on bags that they had.

On the last leg of our journey home, Bella fell asleep again despite the fact that she was trying to fight her fatigue. When we landed in Seattle, I woke Bella up and let her know that we were home. She nodded and a look of concern passed over her face. I was about to ask her what was wrong when we pulled into our terminal and she shot out of her seat seemingly eager to be back. Alice and I shared a look. _Ok, something is definitely going on with her. _Alice thought and I couldn't help but agree with her.

Carlisle, Esme, and Jasper met us just outside the security check point. Not surprisingly, Alice ran to Jasper who took her face in his hands and held her there sharing a private conversation which I blocked out. Esme and Carlisle's thoughts came at me though with full force. _Don't you ever try that again, Edward, or it won't be the Volturi you should be afraid of! _I knew they had been concerned for not only my safety but Bella and Alice's as well, especially Bella's. When we reached them, Esme pulled Bella into a tight hug. "Thank you for bringing him back to us. That was a brave thing you did." she whispered in Bella's ear. Then she hugged me and told me, "You never do that to us or her ever again!"

Carlisle also pulled Balla into a hug, "We owe you, Bella," he told her. Bella shook her head denying any responsibility for my rescue.

When we reached the cars on the third level of the parking garage, Emmett and Rosalie were leaning against the Mercedes. I growled when I saw Rosalie even though I saw the guilt clearly on her face. Esme put her hand on my chest, "Please, Edward, she feels horrible."

"She should," I replied in a low growl.

"Edward, stop." Bella's calm voice said beside me. I looked down at her. She looked up and pleaded with her eyes, "It's not her fault. I'm the one who jumped off the damn cliff in the first place."

Rosalie's gaze shifted between Bella and I and to the arm I had around her waist. "Edward, Bella please forgive me. I am so sorry for all the trouble I caused. Bella, you were so brave to go in there after him. Thank you for saving our brother."

Bella blushed and told her, "It's ok, Rosalie. It's not your fault. Please don't blame yourself."

Everyone looked at me, and I could hear in their thoughts that they were expecting me to say something as well. "Yeah, what she said," I replied gruffly.

Esme looked to Bella, "Come on, lets get you home."

Bella looked like she was collecting her thoughts. "Can we make a stop before you take me home? There is some things you all need to know, and I would rather only explain them once," she said rather quietly like she really didn't want to. The whole family exchanged looks, and I could hear their thoughts flying around.

_What's going on, Edward? _Rosalie thought.

_Did something else happen in Volterra?_ Carlisle thought

_Is she alright?_ Esme thought.

_She doesn't look so good._ Emmett surprisingly thought

_She seems nervous, antsy._ Jasper thought as he sent a wave of calm around to everyone. Bella looked up at him grateful.

_This is what she's been hiding from us._ Alice thought. _I can't get a vision though. It's like everything just disappeared._

Before I could answer any of my family's thoughts, Bella spoke. "Quit bombarding Edward with your silent questions. He nor Alice know. Like I said, I would rather only explain it once." Everyone including myself looked at her surprised at how quickly she caught on to what was flying around. "I need to borrow a cell phone. There are others who need to know what's going on too."

Esme stepped up first. "Of course, dear." She handed Bella the cell phone. "Where do you need to stop?" she asked though I had a feeling I knew the answer.

"Let me see if the others will even meet us," she said confirming my suspicions. "They aren't going to like this. Hell, no one is," she whispered under her breath as she dialed the number.

The phone rang twice before there was a gruff answer on the other side, "Hello?"

"Jacob, it's Bella." Bella answered quietly.

"Bella," I could hear the surprise in Jacob's voice. "You're back! Are you at Charlie's? I need to see you. Are you okay?" His concern was evident, and my jealousy started to climb.

"No, I'm at the airport with the Cullen's." I heard a deep growl on the other side. "Jacob, please stop. Calm down. I need you to do something. Can you talk to Sam and please meet us the Quileute border? There are things you need to know. Things I haven't told you about. Please, Jacob."

"Are _they_ coming?" he spit out vehemently.

Bella looked up at us. Everyone nodded to her. We would be there even though we wouldn't like it. I didn't like the idea that she wanted to talk to the werewolves, but I wouldn't fight her and lose her. "Yes," she replied. "They're all coming."

"Why?" he asked in disgust.

Bella was getting frustrated. She turned away so we couldn't see her expression. She knew that we could all hear her. "Because, Jake, the things I need to tell you and the pack are the same things that they need to know, and I would rather explain them only once. Bring the whole damn pack if it will make you feel better, but don't come looking for a fight unless you want me in the middle of it," she said exasperated.

"Bella, you know I would never do that to you, right? What time do you need us to be there?" Jacob asked. Bella turned back to us for an answer.

"Thirty minutes," Carlisle whispered. She confirmed that with Jacob.

"We will be there. The others aren't going to like this, Bella." Jacob told her seriously.

"I know," she whispered. "Thank you, Jacob."

"I'll see you soon, Bella," he told her before hanging up. She took a deep breath before turning back to us.

"So, do you mind telling us why we are going to meet up with a pack of werewolves, Bella?" Emmett asked casually.

"Because, Emmett, they are my friends." She looked down at the ground. "The only ones I had since you all left. They also deserve to know what is coming."

"And what exactly do you think is coming, Bella?" Alice asked.

"You can't see it, Alice. I'll explain when we get there. Like I said there are things to be said that I don't want to say more than once. Besides, we really need to get out of Seattle. It's unsettling being here." Bella told us confusing us even more.

"Okay, Edward, Bella ride with Rosalie and Emmett. Esme, Jasper, Alice and I will go together. We'll meet up at the Quileute border." Carlisle ordered. _Don't quiz Bella until we get there. She'll explain everything when she's ready. She looks like she's been through too much since we left._ He added for my benefit.

We climbed into the cars and sped out of the parking garage heading back towards Forks at top speeds. We were all anxious for information that Bella was promising. Somehow we all knew that it was not going to be good news.

We pulled off to the side of the road at the edge of the Quileute border. Carlisle was driving the car ahead of us. I could hear the pack across the road at the edge of the woods, and we could all definitely smell them, well except for Bella. I got out and reached in to help Bella out. As she stepped out holding my hand, I heard a growl rise from the other side of the road. The pack had stepped out of the tree line now, and the growl came from a russet colored wolf. Bella looked up when she heard the growl and started forward. I kept a hold of her until she reached the grass; my family was on either side of us.

"Calm down, Jacob." Bella said calmly as if she were speaking to a human instead of a wolf four times her size. She let go of my hand and walked towards the wolves. It was my turn to growl. I didn't like her being so close to them.

"Edward," she said turning back to me. "It's okay. I'm fine. They won't hurt me." I could hear the pack all affirm that they would never hurt Bella, but it still didn't put my fears to rest. Bella walked up to closer to the wolves, "Embry, Quil, Sam, Jacob, Paul, Jared." she nodded a greeting to each wolf. My family's thoughts surrounded me.

_She knows all of them. Each of them by name in their wolf form. That's a little frightening. How many times has she seen them in their wolf forms? _everyone one of my family was buzzing with this new bit of information.

Bella had stepped up to the one she addressed as Sam. From the information I heard in the pack mind, he was the alpha of the pack. The others in the family could tell this based on his size. He was the largest but not by much. Jacob, the russet wolf was just a little smaller than him. Bella was talking now her had reached up to touch the dark fur head of Sam's wolf form. "Thank you for coming, Sam. I know this is hard for you guys, but there are things you all need to hear. Things you need to know about some I have hidden from you, others I just figured out. But first I need Jacob in human form if that is okay with you all."

I heard the pack grumble, but Bella didn't move. She just looked at Sam and over to Jacob and back to Sam. In their minds, they were discussing this, but Jacob was set on giving Bella what she wanted. The russet wolf backed into the edge of the woods and came back out a few seconds later as human Jacob. Bella looked up to him and smiled letting him come up to her and hug her. I had to fight back a growl of jealousy as I saw him cup her cheek and look into her eyes. "Are you okay?" he whispered to her. Bella nodded. "I missed you," he told her.

"I missed you too, Jacob," she replied. "Has there been any activity while I was gone?" she asked seriously. Jacob looked to Sam and back down to Bella.

"She's tried a couple times to get through us with little success. We smelled another one by your house earlier today. It wasn't her," Jacob told her seriously. My family all looked at me confused except Alice.

"Victoria." I growled out. Jacob looked up at me and nodded gravely.

"Charlie?" Bella asked in a panicked voice. "You said you smelled one by my house. Is Charlie okay?"

"Charlie's fine, Bella. He wasn't home. They went in your room though. I'm not sure why. We weren't able to catch him." Bella looked relieved and confused at the same time.

"My room? They were inside my house? Wait did you say him? So it was a male?" Bella paled. Jacob nodded.

"It appears she's not working alone now." Jacob confirmed.

Bella stepped back. She now was on the invisible line that separated Quileute territory from our own. Bella shook her head furiously from side to side as if she was trying to shake thoughts loose. "I have to go. I have to leave Forks." she stated frustrated. No one was expecting that and a soft growl rose from everyone present except Bella.


	5. Chapter 5

***Bella's POV***

"What do you mean you have to leave Forks?" Jacob and Edward growled at the same time.

"As long as I stay here, everyone I know and love is in danger because of me," I whispered. I was trying not to cry. I knew Victoria hadn't been working alone this whole time and by not sharing this knowledge I put Charlie in danger since they weren't watching for anyone else besides Victoria.

"Because of Victoria?" Alice asked. I couldn't find the words to answer her, so I just nodded.

The pack barked out in laughter. Jacob answered with a similar laugh, "Bella, we'll take care of Victoria and this other one that she has recruited. Hell, we'll even willingly work with these blood-suckers to make sure the threat is taken care of if that will make you feel better. Just as long as you don't leave Forks." I looked up as the Cullen family nodded their approval.

Carlisle stepped forward. "We would like to amend the current treaty in order to help protect Bella." Sam and Jacob stepped forward with an acceptance.

"Stop!" I cried out. I couldn't stop the tears rolling down my cheeks. I couldn't let them all risk themselves against Victoria and her newborns because of me. I couldn't lose any of them again. "You don't know what you are saying. You don't know what you're getting yourselves into. Please don't go risking yourselves for me."

"Bella, love," Edward tried to console me. My heart picked up it's pace at the sound of his name for me. "Victoria and her friend are not much of a match for seven vampires and six werewolves especially if we work together." Everyone nodded in agreement trying to get me to believe them.

"You're operating on false assumptions," I stated quietly looking back and forth between Edward's family, my family, and the wolves, my friends. Everyone stared at me curiosity on their faces.

"What are the correct assumptions then, Bella?" Carlisle asked.

I looked at him resigned to the fact that I couldn't hide everything. They would all know soon enough anyway if I really was pregnant as I thought I was. I couldn't keep that a secret for much longer. "She doesn't want to kill me, not yet, at least. And, she has more than just one working with her."

"What do you mean?" Jacob asked me confused and skeptical.

I sighed. I felt defeated. What would they think of me? Would they think of me as weak? Would they not want to be near me. I reached out to Edward; I needed him by my side for as long as he would be there. He was by my side in an instant pulling my small hand into his large cold one. This conversation was not going to be easy. "Victoria is creating an army of newborn vampires to descend on Forks. Her plan is to take out everyone and anyone who stands in her path to me." I started warily. "She wants to see me suffer, to see the pain of loss, before she kills me."

Growls went up all around from both the wolves and the Cullens. I shifted my gaze to the ground not wanting to see their pity. When it quieted down, I squared my shoulders and looked up at everyone. Jasper looked the most distraught of everyone. Everyone else just looked angry. I didn't see pity in anyone's eyes.

"How do you know for sure, Bella? I haven't seen anything." Alice asked confused and frustrated just like everyone else.

I laughed wryly, "You haven't seen, Alice, because she knows your watching. Her decisions are split-second. She knows about your gifts. Laurent spent time with Tanya and her family. He gleaned enough information about you all to give information to Victoria in order to evade your visions, and Edward's mind-reading." I knew Alice hated the idea of being blind.

"But why would she create an army of newborns?" Jasper questioned concerned.

"Well, I have a theory on that as well. Alice you mentioned that Edward had tracked Victoria to Texas correct?" I felt Edward stiffen beside me, and he glared at Alice. Obviously, Edward hadn't wanted me to know this information. Alice looked at Edward apologetically, but nodded in affirmation to my question. "And Edward you told me stories of other vampires who used to control and protect their territory with newborn vampires because of their extra strength and speed. These vampires were in the south, Texas to be specific. I think that when you tracked Victoria down there, that is where she got the idea from."

Everyone looked at me in shock. Jasper looked a little nervous. "How did you come up with these ideas, Bella? How do you know what she is planning?" Carlisle asked me.

I looked down trying to sort out what I would say next. They were not going to like this part. I really didn't want to tell them about how weak I had been. "Another wrong assumption on your part," I stated quietly. "You are assuming that Victoria hasn't already gotten to me. You are assuming that she hasn't started her form of torture."

For a split second everything was quiet before growls erupted from everyone. I felt sick at the thought of telling them what happened. Maybe I should have just run off. Maybe I should have just told Edward and Jacob separately. It was too late now. Besides there were no secrets in the pack or in the Cullen family if one knew than all knew.

"What did she do to you?" Emmett growled from behind Edward. I looked up at him startled suddenly anxious to tell them exactly what happened four weeks ago. "I kill her!" Emmett growled again everyone agreeing with his sentiments. I felt a wave of calm roll towards me, and I looked up thanking Jasper with my eyes.

I tried to put them at ease somewhat "She herself didn't harm me physically." I knew I lied to them, so I amended the statement. "Well, she did, but it was not more than I could handle. It's what she had others do that caused the most harm."

I felt suddenly queasy as I remembered the events of that day. I thought I was going to be sick. I turned away quickly and sprinted to the nearest tree before doubling over and letting the contents of my stomach come out which wasn't much as I had barely eaten the past three days that I was away. I stood up cautiously not wanting to look back at the group whose eyes I could feel on me. It was until I heard the audible gasp from Esme, Alice, and Rosalie that I finally turned and started walking back to them.

"You're pregnant, Bella." Alice said quietly.

Those words confirmed my suspicions and my fears. I looked at Alice desperate. "What did you see, Alice? How did you know? I haven't even decided what to do about it. How could you see this but not what led up to this?" I accused her. I suddenly felt guilty. Alice was not to blame for my situation. "I'm sorry, Alice." I whispered. "I didn't mean to blame you for not seeing this."

"Bella it's not what she saw; it's what we all can hear." Edward explained to me softly reaching to pull my chin up so I was looking at him.

"You can hear the heartbeat?" I asked quietly trying to look away from him before he could see the shame in my eyes. There was no denying the truth now. I was 18 and pregnant. Pregnant not even by my own choice.

"Yes," he told me quietly. "Two heartbeats to be specific. They just started which leads me to believe you are about a month along, correct?" I just nodded in shock. Two heartbeats, twins! I didn't think I could handle that. I just…I didn't know what I would do now knowing that there were to living children in my womb my instinct to protect them at all costs took over and my hands flew to my stomach. I only knew now that I couldn't destroy them.

Another wave of calm flowed out from Jasper this time in the direction of the wolves. I had almost forgotten they were there except for Jacob asking me for an explanation. "How about you explain to all of us what happened, Bella, and what this has to do with Victoria." Jacob said calmly from behind me as I was still facing Edward. I nodded and turned to face everyone.

"About four weeks ago, Jacob came to me to explain why he had been ignoring me for the two weeks prior. He told me that he couldn't actually tell me, but he knew I would figure it out because he had given me all the information before in the tribal stories that he told me. When he left that night, I was left to my thoughts trying to remember every detail of the stories. By the next morning, I had figured it out. However, I had to sort out my thoughts before I came down to La Push to talk to you."

"I went for a drive and ended up in Port Angeles. I figured that while I was there, I might as well take a walk down the boardwalk to let the fresh air clear my head. Before I knew it I was at the end of the Boardwalk away from the Saturday afternoon crowds. I was so distracted with my thoughts that I didn't know…" I let out the sob that was stopping me from continuing. They did not need to see me like this. I could do this. I could be strong. I repeated this to myself a couple times helping me regain my composure. "I didn't realize that I wasn't alone."

I didn't hear a sound. They were silently waiting for me to continue. A gentle squeeze on both my hands let me know that Edward and Jacob were there encouraging me to continue. I knew they were trying to keep calm to help me stay calm, but I could see the anger and fury in both their eyes and for the first time ever, I saw a similarity in both of them. They would both risk everything to try to protect me even from themselves. However, I knew they weren't going to like this next part, so I pulled my hands away and stepped away from them.

I moved until I was in between Carlisle and Sam who hadn't moved from their earlier spots when they were trying to negotiate a new treaty to keep me safe. They both gave me a knowing look as I pleaded with my eyes. They seemed to understand that I needed them to keep the boys calm. Edward and Jacob moved in unison until they were once again beside me. Carlisle put a hand on Edward's shoulder seeming to calm him and restrain him at the same time. Jasper moved forward to put his hand on Edward's other shoulder. Sam moved to stand next to Jacob to be ready in an instant to calm him and pull him away from me. They both looked irritated and relieved at the same time.

I decided it was time to continue on. I looked at the ground. I didn't want to see "It wasn't until I was surrounded that I even begun to realize what was happening. There were four of them. They had been drinking. I could smell alcohol and cigarette smoke on their breath as they pushed me into the alleyway. I tried to push them away. They just laughed. I did the only thing I could think of at the time. I punched the guy in front of me and started running to the end of the alley fully intent on screaming as soon as I was out in the open again where people could see me."

I felt a shudder race through my body as I remembered what happened next. "Before I reached the end of the alley. Someone stepped out from the shadows. I knew who it was the instant I saw her, and I couldn't help but freeze. She just smiled at me as I was grabbed from behind. The men didn't even pay attention to her. It was like I was the only one who saw her as they pulled me back again. The only thing that told me she was really there was their comments." I couldn't help but remember their comments. _I can't believe she would reward us for taking this hot girl. Hell, all the reward I need is right here. They had said these things as they had pushed themselves into me. _"She had evidently told them that she would give them a reward if they attacked me." I whispered.

I heard growls coming from all around me. "Why didn't you yell for help, Bella? You should have screamed at the top of your lungs like you had planned to. Why did you just give up?" Rosalie asked me obviously angry. I looked up surprised. I saw on her face that she was not angry at me but at the thought of what happened to me. I was surprised to see how close everyone was to me. They all seemed to gather in as I had been telling my story even the wolves. They were nearly shoulder to shoulder surrounding me. Some of the wolves were so close that they were nearly touching the Cullen's but not aggressively. It was almost as if they were supporting one another and obviously supporting me.

"I thought about screaming but quickly silenced those thoughts. I knew if I screamed and someone by chance heard me and come to help. I would be sentencing them to death. Victoria was still there watching everything." I shuddered again thinking about her. "I couldn't risk letting someone come near there just to be killed by her. Besides, I knew they wanted me to scream, and I didn't want them to hear me scream. I didn't want them to know how much it hurt." I looked back at the ground remembering how weak I was. I couldn't stop them whimper that forced itself out of me as I held the tears at bay.

"Everything happened so quickly, but it seemed to take forever at the same time. Before I knew it they were done and walked back toward the entrance of the alley, toward Victoria. They asked her for their reward. She just gave them an evil smile before snapping the neck of the first one and knocking the other three unconscious. She drained the one she killed before she bit the other three." The growls from around me shook me out of my memory state.

"She turned three of them? How could you not tell us this?" Jacob asked, clearly agitated. He was shaking from head to toe. Sam was trying to push him away from me. I felt Jasper's calming wave pass me on it's way to Jacob. I looked at Jacob to see the tension ebb away with calmness replacing it.

"Thank you, Jasper." I said as I looked to him. He just nodded. He knew I needed it too. His expression was grave. "Yes, Jacob." I said turning back to him. "She turned three of them. They are now newborn vampires, no doubt, in the army that she is forming. Jacob, I knew if I told you, you would have tried to hunt her down getting yourself killed in the process. I didn't want you to do that."

"Ah, Bella you still doubt us. We are stronger than you think." Jacob was frustrated.

"I know you are, Jacob. Still if you had gone after her, the odds would not have been in your favor. I still have more information. Do you want me to go on, or are you going to continue to patronize me for not telling you about my moment of weakness?" I asked frustrated. I couldn't stop the frustrating tears rolling down my cheeks. I didn't want them to see me like this.

"Bella," Rosalie stepped up and put her hand on my shoulder and she lifted my chin up so my eyes met hers. I was surprised by the contact. Rosalie had always shown a contempt for me and the fact that I was human. "Bella, never think of yourself as weak. This was not your fault. You have to be the strongest human being any of us has ever known." I was shocked as I looked at her. Her eyes only showed compassion and honesty. "Tell us what else happened, Bella," she said as she stepped back to give me space. I don't know why I did, but I didn't want her to move away. For some reason, I felt like I could trust Rosalie that she would help me through this. I reached out and grabbed her hand.

It was her turn to look surprised, though she quickly covered it up with a kind smile. I took a deep breath and looked away from her to everyone else. All I saw was love and admiration mixed with anger (no doubt because of what happened to me). Jasper and Carlisle had released their hold on Edward. I decided that I should continue on.

"Once Victoria bit the other three, she left them there convulsing in pain. She started toward me." Jacob and Edward growled. Carlisle and Jasper suddenly put restraining hands on Edward again before they nodded to me to continue. "I had just been able to get my jeans back on. My shirt was shredded and useless. She reached me, and I asked her if she was going to kill me. She laughed at me. She told me she wasn't going to kill me yet. She wanted me to suffer."

I looked up at Edward. His eyes were filled with such agony that I had to look away before I said the next part. "She said that knowing I was taken advantage of would cause Edward that much more pain. That by not turning me, Edward left me unable to defend myself and knowing that would cause him grief. She wanted us…" I looked back up at Edward his eyes looked haunted and tortured as he looked at me. I let go of Rosalie's hand and walked up to him and raised my hand to his cheek wanting to take away his pain. "She wanted us to suffer for killing James, her James."

I pulled my hand away and looked down at the ground. "I told her there was no point. I told her that you had left that you didn't love me anymore. I honestly wanted her to kill me." I heard a grief filled cry come from Edward as he dropped to his knees in front of me sobs wracking his body.

"Bella, this is all my fault. I never should have left. I should have been there. You shouldn't have gone through this. I love you so much. I know that's hard to believe considering how much I put you through, but I love you with every bit of my existence." Edward sobbed. His hands were on my waist, and his head rested on my stomach.

"Edward," I whispered reaching down to lift his chin up so he would look at me. "It was not your fault. It was never your fault. Victoria would have found a way to get to me sooner or later. It just happened in a way I did not expect. I'm sorry you have to hear this. I never meant to hurt you by telling you my story. I love you too much to hurt you." He looked up at me in amazement.

Jacob growled on my other side. I looked over at him. "Jacob, I'm sorry. You know that I love you. I have told you many times though that you are like a brother to me. I'm sorry. I just can't love you like that." Pain flashed across his features. "I didn't want to hurt you either with my story. That's part of the reason I've stayed quiet for so long. I knew you would blame yourself for not being able to protect me. I suppose I should tell you what else Victoria said and did as it is the whole reason why I must leave Forks."

I looked around at everyone. Jasper and Carlisle pulled Edward back up to his feet and kept their hands wrapped tightly around his arms. Esme said something for the first time, "You said that Victoria hurt you physically, but not more than you could handle. What did she do to you, Bella?" She asked worry evident in her voice.

"Ah yes, that…" I stated warily. "Well, I suppose there is going to be no way to hide it." I didn't know if I should tell them what happened first or just show them the scars. I decided on telling them. "Victoria decided she would leave a little message. I guess she thought the one she already left wasn't enough. She took one of the knives that one of the humans had dropped and flipped me over so my bare back was facing her. She um…she uh used the knife to write a message in my back. She didn't hit anything major. She just went deep enough that there would be scars and deep enough that it hurt like hell. When she was done, she went back to the one she killed and pulled his shirt off before throwing it at me.

"She told me to get out of there before her newborns woke up. She said she didn't think she could stop them from killing me. She said that they would make great additions to the army that she had in Seattle. She told me that I would meet them all someday, but that I wouldn't probably live long after that. That's when she said that they would kill anyone who stood in her way to get to me again."

"I pushed myself off the ground and pulled the shirt over my head trying to avoid the searing pain in my back. I walked past her out of the alley back to my truck just praying I wouldn't pass out. I drove to the Port Angeles hospital knowing that I had to have the cuts cleaned and stitched. When I got to the hospital, I asked for a doctor that could stitch up cuts on my back. When they saw my back, they tried to get me to report it which I knew I couldn't do, so I just told them that a crazy bitch was just jealous of me, and I wasn't going to press charges. Luckily they didn't push me further."

"Bella, what did she write on your back?" Carlisle asked still gripping tightly to Edward. I looked at the faces surrounding me. They were anxious and nervous even the wolves seemed on edge. I sighed and turned around. I pushed myself out of the circle that surrounded me. I could feel all their eyes trained on me waiting for a response. I pulled off the coat that I had on and shivered as the cold air hit my bare arms. I reached behind me unhooking my bra through my shirt before I lifted the back of my shirt to my shoulder blades. I heard the gasps and growls behind me as they read the words in the raised pink scars that started where my bra had been. They were the words I saw everyday in the mirror after I showered. They were words that haunted my nightmares.

"She did this to you?" The muttered growl escaped from Jasper. I turned back toward them as I reached behind me to hook my bra again through my shirt and grab my coat. I nodded at Jasper as I felt anger and hatred roll off him to all that surrounded him.

There were additional mutters of "I'll kill her!" and "She's dead meat!" thrown around as Jasper riled them up with his own anger. I knew I had to put an end to this before any of them did anything stupid such as go after Victoria and her newborns.


End file.
